Jan 29 2021
1
I really hate this fucking album. Jesus Christ, Mary and Joseph I hate this album. Might I enumerate those ways in which thine sweet serenade doth fuckin piss me off? Listen close. First off, the singer has no soul. Like this nigga sounds like he isn't allowed to reveal that he's trapped in this band as a cosmic punishment for some heinous crime. Garbarge. that's one. Second off, this shit is literally - and I mean actually literally - not even partially artistic. Every song is boring. Every song is 100% predictable. Every song sounds like it was fabricated for the collective wet-dream of of the characters in that 70's show. wtf? This is fucking crazy. Bland as fuck, its like feeding my ears straight white rice cooked in distilled water. There's literally nothing here. And if you wanna get into the weeds, we can talk about specifics - incessant 4/4 shit-drumming; solos that sound 100% lackluster due to an unbelievable lack of tension, plus guitar solos that actually mimic real sounds in the world that are boring (the clock solo at the end is the ultimate example of this); The horribly awkward talking in the middle of most of the music: the 'i need some love' part was so bad it actually made a permanent change on my mood; How about that bass player? Talk about bullshit! He'snot doing anything. Take his ass out and replace him with a machine why don't you? And they shouted out that shitty drummer one too many times. That's two things. Now lets talk about the album as a whole. First off its live. Why? its worse this way. They are not exciting. They are not fun. They are not inspiring live. Their lyrics are harder to hear, which for me is a plus, but can’t be a plus for the crowd of 'women' - aka dads in drag or daughters who went to this concert to honor their dads or women who were looking for a hookup and 500 bucks and cocaine backstage. I genuinely can't believe that any of the women I heard in this crowd were there of their own free will, even if they think they were. I won't believe it, it'd be an insult to women. Classic Rock Dad, sure he's there. But wtf? In fact I'd like to see a phenomenological investigation of the aesthetic judgement of these women. The music was the equivalent of a 15 year old highschool mini-himbo (has-slept-with-4-young-women-and-thinks-hes-on-top-of-the-fucking-world-because-he-buys-ditch-weed-and-cries-to-cheap-trick-in-his-basement-while-his-single-mom-is-taking-out-the-trash-alone-...-again). That means it was also a work in neu-virility - you know? The whole 'Oh baby I need you so much and all my vulberable emotions are actually just expressed through my need to have a slam piece near me who doesn't hate my music' type shit. For women, its insidious self hate. For men, its right on the god damn mark. Either way, its lame af. That's three. Lyrically its about as mature as 5glo 10 years ago and sounds just as young on the ears. How can anyone justify basically talking about nothing interesting? Isn't tgis part of the rock corpus that old white guys point to to say music now is dying? How did these lyrics pre-empt the awkward, wan, inconsequentiality of modern lyricism, except without the very obvious cultural impetus for such a switch. Only song I had heard before was Surrender and they even made my hate that in this listen. Its actually almost artistic how trite the lyrics are. Sadly, they are clearly artless. 1/5, but really more like .9/10, the requiste score for 'music' in the broad sense. Harumph
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Aug 02 2021
2
The point of a live album is to take everything that makes the studio album great and amp it up with the energy of a live show. Unfortunately, Cheap Trick is just a sloppy mess live, apparently. The hits are still good but everything is just... loose. And the recording isn't even hight quality. It's just not worth it, really.
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Feb 22 2021
4
Day 36 of Albums You Must Hear..
At Budokan (Live) is the album that put Cheap Trick on the international map, having gained early popularity in Japan, the Rockford, Illionois band that had been playing and recording since 1973 made this live album in 1978. When copies of this record that was meant to be exclusive to the Japanese market made their way to the US, Epic Records was forced to release an American version in 1979, and would go on to be Cheap Trick’s most successful album.
I Want You to Want Me is probably the most recognizable song to the average listener and is dripping with sex and desire. Surrender has been one of my favorites from Cheap Trick ever since it was featured in a film I saw once about the Son of Sam serial killer of the 70’s. Ain’t That a Shame, a cover of the great Fats Domino song from 1956 is my officially my favorite song. The closing track, Clock Strikes Ten, is a great song that anyone can rock out to! Hearing the fans go ape shit on every song made listening to this record even more exciting!
Cheap Trick rode a wave that was departing the Disco era, when most bands were transitioning to Soft Rock. These guys turned up the heat and brought some heaviness back to Rock music. This was a great listen and an album you must hear before you die.
Please share your thoughts, memories and opinions!!
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Mar 27 2022
1
There was a certain consumerism magic about Japan in the mid to late 70s. All the trinkets sold in dollar stores said "made in Japan" rather than "made in China'', the energy crisis had people turning away from the North American gas guzzlers and buying Honda Civics, and the most sought after Beatles bootleg was called "Five Nights in a Judo arena" which was also recorded at Budokan. Cheap Trick's live album was perfectly timed to benefit from the thirst for all things from Japan. Too bad the album sucks.
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May 06 2021
2
Rather uninspring lyrics and boring. I just don't want to spend time listening to this. No magic in terms of crowd interaction. Nothing that made me want to stop and focus. Why is this on here?
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Oct 04 2022
5
I saw Cheap Trick live at Download Festival many years ago. I remember the singer was dressed as a sailor, and the guitarist had a guitar with 4 necks. They were excellent live. I have already heard a couple of songs from this album, so am excited to hear the rest!
Songs I already knew: I Want You To Want Me, Surrender
Favourite after listening: I Want You To Want Me, Surrender
This was genuine excellence. Live albums don’t tend to be as good as studio albums but this was perfection throughout, and with a good set of headphones you can imagine being there with them. Every single song gave me goosebumps at one time or another. Everything was very tight, no voice cracks, no duff notes. And most importantly, each song was catchy and very enjoyable. I would recommend absolutely everybody listens to this album.
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Jun 23 2021
2
Listening through this, I was confused at first. Then I hit "I Want You to Want Me" and realized oh, this is home to probably one of the most famous live rock songs I know. I'm still not a fan of live albums in general, but I understand including this one now. That doesn't mean I like it, though. I wouldn't return to it aside from the two hits.
Favorite tracks: I Want You to Want Me, Surrender.
Album cover: Honestly not that bad. It's just a band/stage photo but they look like they're having fun and the colors are pretty nice.
2.5/5
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Sep 03 2021
1
2.5/10
Boring. You're always simultaneously hoping for a good song to come and for the album to end.
"Surrender" is the best one.
1- 2- 3- 4- 5-- 6=- 7=- 8+ 9= 10=
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Sep 09 2020
5
Classic. High quality. Great crowd. Goodnight was awesome. Need your love was killer. "That" version of i want you to want me.
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Nov 26 2023
4
Cheap Trick capture their high energy power-pop in a live setting. Guided by Voices fans will find a lot to like here, latter-day GBV - in the Doug Gilliard era(s) - clearly takes some influence from Cheap Trick.
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May 05 2024
3
The band doesn't really get into the pocket on this album until track 5 "Need Your Love", and the album as a whole takes off on tracks 6 through 10, which includes a rocking cover of the Fats Domino/Dave Bartholomew song"Ain't That a Shame", and the hits "I Want You to Want Me" and "Surrender".
Deserves about a 3.5 for keeping song and solo lengths reasonable, for making it a standard album length (42 minutes) and for resisting the urge to make it a double album. I'll round it down and give it a 3.
I might be one of the only people around that prefers their studio albums to their live ones.
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Jun 07 2021
3
De manière générale, j'aime bien les albums live. Pourtant, celui-ci manque cruellement de transitions entre les chansons, ce qui a tendance à me déplaire. Les Cheap Trick devraient en la matière prendre exemple sur le Nimmerland-Tour de RIN.
Voici comment les concerts en question étaient structurés :
- La première partie était assurée par le chanteur James Arthur, qui devait le plus souvent abréger sa prestation en raison du mécontentement de la salle.
- RIN arrivait ensuite en tyrolienne en chantant justement des chants tyroliens avant d'enchaîner huit fois le morceau Dizzee Rascal type beat.
- À mi-concert, l'incident des "deux merdes" donnait lieu à de longues minutes de négociations entre le rappeur et la frange costumée du public.
- Juste avant le dernier morceau, RIN dévoilait sa carte maîtresse en invitant la voix française de Shark à le rejoindre sur scène devant des fans qui n'en croyaient pas leurs yeux.
- RIN regagnait enfin sa loge oĂą l'attendait Bausa et sa terrible influence.
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May 15 2024
5
One of the best live albums ever made!
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May 28 2021
5
Cheap Trick wouldn't be at the top of my list of favourite bands, to be honest I hadn't heard much of their work.
But they really won me over with this album. This is a great live album. The band's performance & the crowd's energy really gets you going when listening to it.
One of the biggest surprises I've had so far listening to all these albums.
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Jun 01 2021
5
De los mejores discos en vivo de la historia.
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Feb 05 2021
5
This is probably the best, ballsiest sounding live record around. Big Eyes has huge energy on a weird guitar part that takes over the room like a big animal. turns out the audio is from Osaka and not at the Budokan, the recording there was a failure. FABULOUS ALBUM
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Jan 28 2021
5
es como escuchar a los bicles con distor
No muchas bandas tienen ese power cuando tocan en vivo y este es un disco que sin duda voy a volver a escuchar seguido
Need your love, i want you to want me, surrender, goodnight y clock strikes ten
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Jun 11 2025
4
Haven't heard "At Budokan" but I know Cheap Trick wrote "He's a Whore" so that instantly elevates them to an A-tier band.
Also, the two guys look like Roger Taylor and Roger Waters, two of my favourite musicians, so more points.
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May 17 2024
4
A pretty solid, pleasantly surprising live album. I was not sold on it when I started, but the second half absolutely carries the first. Fiery, energetic and fun. An all around good listen. Top tracks: Need Your Love, I Want You to Want Me, Surrender
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May 15 2024
4
It's amazing this band isn't more beloved than they are and In Budokan was what it took to finally get these guys a top 10 single.
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May 14 2024
4
This live album does exactly what all live albums should: make you wish you were in the crowd that night.
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May 10 2024
4
Pretty solid! Some great songs on this album.
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Apr 24 2025
3
It’s no “Hot August Night”
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Jan 03 2025
3
The Good: a live album recorded in Budokan!
The Bad: a band which calls themselves cheap anything
The Ugly: realizing that we’ve been tricked… cheaply…
One should wonder if any recording made at the Budokan will instantly be special… because one too many bands has believed this to be the case, and has failed miserably.
So is this album like that? A failure, which happened to be taped at the Budokan?
Well, not really. Because, though I am no big fan of cheap trick, one thing that is undeniable about this album is the simple fact that you have a some musicians, on stage, in front of an appreciative audience, having fun! You can hear them having fun, you can feel them having fun.
Not the greatest live album ever, but that’s obvious as they are not the greatest band ever. However, this album contains one of the greatest songs all people recognize without them knowing who the band is, or where it was taped, and nobody could really give a rat’s ass…
So here’s to Cheap Trick @ Budokan, wanting us to want them!
3*
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May 05 2024
3
Good energy, but I can’t say it did much for me
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May 17 2021
3
Meh
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Feb 16 2021
3
Easy enough listening but nothing stand out which would bring me back to it.
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May 19 2021
3
Alright. Mix could have been a bit cleaner, but at least it sounds like a live album.
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Feb 17 2021
3
Good rock n roll album but not a fan of live albums
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May 05 2021
3
Decent but ultimately slightly disappointed
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Jun 26 2024
2
I’m so baffled by this album. I simply don’t understand (or hear) what elevates this above other live albums. To have this be on the list (and Rolling Stone’s list) as one of the most essential albums ever just does not compute. I wouldn’t say anything is aggressively awful. But all these songs are done better on their studio albums. How this is what got radio play and then made Cheap Trick huge I’ll never understand. 2/5
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Feb 08 2024
2
Meh. One song does not make an album listenable
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Apr 14 2023
2
Not sure why this album exists - Cheap Trick have about 3 good songs (1 on this), pretty basic rock fare with no significant enhancements discernible in the live delivery captured here, the record itself wasn't supposed to be released in the US in the first place, and it wasn't even recorded at Budokan! The record-buying public are weird..
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Jul 17 2024
1
This is just as annoying and pointless as every other 70s live album I've received so far. But on top of that, these guys have the most fucking annoying crowd I have ever heard in a live album. Were these guys like the One Direction of the 70s or something? Their fans sound like 10 year old girls. I would give this 2 stars, but I'm applying the "pointless live album rule" where if a completely normal concert gets turned into a live album I deduct one star for it being completely pointless and a waste of everyone's time to listen to.
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Jul 25 2025
5
Love Cheap Trick so much. Such an underrated band. Anyone who gives this anything lower than a 4 is getting blocked.
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Jul 23 2025
5
As a massive fan of this band, I was initially put off that this was the one selection from their catalog. Seemed a bit of a cop-out, considering the bounty of albums to choose from — the first four alone could all merit consideration. But then I listened to the record, with as fresh ears as I could, and holy shit. This is a masterclass in being a live power-pop rock band. Or any kind of band. Robin Zander's performance is exhibit number one as to why he's in the top-tier running for best rock singer ever. He can do it all. Sing sweetly, belt his balls off, and everything in between — with a range that makes most vocalists jealous. And he's doing it over a crushing backline of music. Tom Petersson's (12-string) bass is super cool and mammoth and locks in with Bun E. Carlos' underappreciated drums — he's like Ringo meets Bonham with a bunch of swing. And Rick Nielsen manages to be loose while embodying rock and roll guitar — not to mention having written some of the most enduring riffs of his day. At Budokan showcases a band in ferocious form, smashing out songs from its first three records (Heaven Tonight, which would have been my pick if I had to come up with just one, had just been released when they played this show) plus a few added treats, and god damn they just kill it. Set the bar for the next few decades, and they're still at it. Great pick. Great album. Great band.
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Jul 23 2025
5
In the old days, I found pop culture wherever I could. Doodles on paper bag book covers and school notebooks. Best pop culture was when my brother’s girlfriends came over and I could glimpse their style, their book cover art. I still remember Cheryl Kirstein letting me sit with them while she doodled on her notebook:
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
What did it mean?! It was all so mysterious and so alluring. It wasn't like I could just play Cheap Trick back then. All my albums were Beatles and Dylan and Greg's were Kiss and Rush.
When I FINALLY heard Cheap Trick, I'm sure I didn't know it was them. I just knew the song Surrender and thought "that's cool." As I aged they were more in my periphery but I just tossed them into the rock bucket of sounds I probably would not like.
And then I met Andre.
While his enthusiasm was as sexy as watching Cheryl doodle Cheap Trick on her notebooks, I still didn't quite get the greatness. But one day, Andre had me watch Cheap Trick perform Sgt Pepper in Vegas. It all crystallized.
I don't know all the history around this---why Japan? The audience sounds so into it. And of course...it's all their great hits and Surrender's live debut. What a time for rock and roll. Viva Cheap Trick!
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Jul 03 2025
5
"Cheap Trick at Budokan" is first live album by Rockford, Illinois rock band Cheap Trick. Hard rock and power pop are the Wiki-listed genres. Yep, to a tee. The album was recorded at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo and kickstarted the band's popularity. Cheap Trick is Robin Zander (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar, backing vocals), Tom Petersson (bass, backing vocals) and Bun E. Carlos (drums). Commercially, the album is their best selling recording reaching #4 in the US and #29 in the UK and, critically, it is considered one of the greatest live rock albums of all time. In 2019, the album was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for its artistic significance.
Fans screaming and a guy with a deep voice asking "Are you ready?" begin the album and "Hello There." A blazing guitar, pounding drums and Zander's screaming vocals. A driving song. The sound is kind of muffled though. A short Nielsen guitar solo and a Carlos drum outro. Get used to that cause it's in most of these songs. Zander opens the side one closer "Need Your Love" by saying "I need your love." A slower start with echoing guitars. Nielsen gives a great shredding guitar solo. This overly long 8-minute song might be the only misstep on the album. I guess even classics gave way to 1970's rock indulgence.
There are no missteps on side two which opens with the cover of Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame." An extended drum intro which leads to a looping guitar riff and guitar solo. This is a guitar and drumming prowess showcase. Robin Zander states " I Want You To Want Me." Another drum intro and the classic guitar riff. Melodic and probably Zander's best vocal performance on the album. It's funny when this live version is the version of the song that you know and the studio version sounds different. It's also funny when Zanders introduces "Surrender" as the first song from their new album just released last week. The drums, that looping background guitar and they give a nod to Kiss. I guess this is the Baby Boomer rebellion song. At least the Gen Xers have "Loser." A nice, clear recording.
This album showcases a tight band that was playing 200 concerts a year. The guitar and drums are the highlights. Nielsen's riffs, solos, power chords, short breaks, shredding and urgency. The drums are in the intros, outros, fast and in the forefront. The music is great. There is one long song and the singer announcing the next song before the previous song cut are my only two critiques. Well, you can get the whole concert if you really want. Anyway, a classic album any way you slice it with versions of songs played more and probably better than their studio versions. A must listen-to album.
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Jun 25 2025
5
a big swirling candymeat gumbo Something! really is the ideal power pop blueprint, with sweet and sour melodic ideas delivered in the most sweaty muscly way possible,,,its not druggy music rly, but there is smth ab it that makes me feel like im lifting out of my body a bit. rick and robin especially whip things into an absolute storm. gonna have to listen to this more before im satisfied with pinning down what it is that just made me fall in love so fast and hard but with something this fun its not like im groaning at the homework! just a rly rly incredible rock outfit turning already bouncy songs into a roaring jet engine. ive liked surrender for a rly long time but im starting to wonder if its actually one of my fave songs ever FHJFSHJFS
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Jun 15 2025
5
loved it
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Jun 11 2025
5
What is not to like about this album? So much energy, so much love from the crowd.
The set list is great, the 3-song run of "Ain't That a Shame", "I Want You to Want Me", and "Surrender" is one of the best, and "Clock Strikes Ten" is such a good ending ...
Brought me back to high school and nights out do high school stuff, a great listen.
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Jun 04 2025
5
I think i like live albums and this one was done well
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May 07 2025
5
Just a great live album
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Apr 17 2025
5
This s one of the iconic albums of the 70s adn 89s. Great songs, great perfromances.
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Mar 21 2025
5
Hit after hit. What an amazing setlist. What incredible song writers.
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Mar 17 2025
5
This is pure dynamite, incredible energy
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Mar 12 2025
5
Definitely one of the best live albums of all time. "I Want You To Want Me" is iconic, but every song on here is perfection. Cheap Trick doesn't necessarily do it for me in general, but something about this live album just brings them to life in a different way.
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Mar 05 2025
5
um, cheap trick expert here!
this album doesn’t even crack my top 15 cheap trick albums so I am providing help if you actually want to open your mind to this weirdo band
if you want their best album: listen to Dream Police
if you want a proto punk, heavier album: listen to their debut Cheap Trick
if you want quintessential power pop, the genre they helped form: listen to Heaven Tonight
if you want their 80s power ballad, some slight hair tease: listen to Lap of Luxury
if you want a christmas album: listen to Christmas Christmas
if you want a taste of how they transformed their sound into a modern era: listen to The Latest
I could go on. If you want a better version of Live at Budokan, listen to the 30th anniversary edition
CHEAP TRICK 4 EVERRRRR
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Feb 24 2025
5
One of the greatest live albums ever
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Feb 23 2025
5
Klasse! Kannte die Band nicht, als ich die Platte erhielt. Aufgelegt und begeistert. Gefällt mir heute noch besser als alle Studioplatten von CT!
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Feb 14 2025
5
Still have this on vinyl!
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Feb 09 2025
5
Some of this felt very same compared to other stuff, but it Is done well. "surrender' and "I want you to want me' were obvious highlights. I feel like if I heard the studio version of this album I would give it a four, but because this is live and it is done so well, and indistinguishable from the studio version, It gets bumped to a five. Classic rock done well.
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Feb 07 2025
5
Utterly top notch, forgot that it was a live album at times!
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Feb 01 2025
5
Every negative review of this one is accurate, but who cares? This would have been SUCH a fun show! My brain says this shouldn’t be a 5, but I enjoyed the absolute fuck out of this, so why wouldn’t it be 5 stars?
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Jan 09 2025
5
This was really good! I get why they are so highly rated as a live band.
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Dec 29 2024
5
Album 638 of 1001
Cheap Trick - At Budakon (1979)
Rating : 4.5/ 5
One of my long time favorites. Well...Side 2, that is. I give S1 a 3.5 and S2 a 5. Received this as a gift on my 14th birthday and still have it today. Love this one.
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Dec 12 2024
5
fantastic live album!
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Oct 27 2024
5
This is a solid 4, until the second side, and then it turns it up a level. “Ain’t That a Shame” through “Surrender” is shear bliss. Then we add the bookends of “Hello There” and “Goodnight” before the encore and we have a perfectly packaged concert. The constant cheering of the fans added another layer of energy to the set. This is what I want in a live album.
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Sep 30 2024
5
A great album and definitely a fan of the best version of WYTWM
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Sep 11 2024
5
As live album this really slaps, I might just be in a good mood but I think I'll listen to this again
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Sep 06 2024
5
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!
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Aug 30 2024
5
Power pop kings at the height of their game.
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Aug 28 2024
5
They are what I classify as a "Great Guitar Band". Other bands clearly have guitars, but there just some bands that really utilize thier guitars as a driving force. I've had the pleasure of seeing them live(unfortunately not in there prime) and they killed. I can't imagine what that show must have been like in the 80's. I know this album well and it ages well. "Live at the Budokan" never gets old.
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Aug 23 2024
5
Sometimes LIVE is 'better' than studio. Tracks 'come alive' and this is prime example as well as Peter Frampton. The energy and direction that the band feeds off of creates an historic album.
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Aug 09 2024
5
Although I loved this album, I found that there was a 30th anniversary edition with way more songs from this concert. So this album was just the best songs from the concert and that left me kinda bummed from not hearing the full show. But then again, maybe it wouldn't score so high.
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Jul 10 2024
5
I’d heard of this album and am grateful for it being recommended because it was awesome.
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Jun 05 2024
5
Cheap Trick rode a wave that was departing the Disco era, when most bands were transitioning to Soft Rock. These guys turned up the heat and brought some heaviness back to Rock music. This was a great listen and an album you must hear before you die.
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May 12 2024
5
Great recording. Tight performance and ecstatic crowd
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Apr 09 2024
5
I had been looking forward to this one. It’s one I had heard a lot about but never listened too. Such a great live record. Would have been great to see performed live.
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Apr 04 2024
5
YES! What an album for hump day! This album more than holds up and really cooks! Especially the second half. I really needed some in-yo-face driving drums and guitar to get my blood pumping today. There is something magical about a solid timeless hit like “Surrender” when it is captured live so close to the release date. The energy and enthusiasm of the band is so fresh and tight, like lightning in a bottle. This may be getting a slight artificial bump from me after the last handful of rap, art rock and indie albums we have had, but if it is, it isn’t by much.
4.5/5 rounding up
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Apr 04 2024
5
When a 9-year old kid rides his BMX bike up to the used record store with the intent of buying this album and KISS Alive…and succeeding, I’m not sure what else matters. As one of the greatest live albums of all time, Budokan became the musical foundation for so many youths including myself. It’s hard to be brief when discussing this album given its incredible influence, and because it would set the stage for bucking tradition and offering such a large alternative to the disco and yacht rock of the time. The live versions of “Surrender” and “I Want You To Want Me” upped the irons more than their studio cuts. And the fact that “Hello”, “Big Eyes” and “Goodnight” still get played today with the same freshness only solidifies this band as leaders in the power-pop pantheon. This record simply speaks for itself and is a true banger knowing it was performed by four dudes in their late 20s. The Beatlemania these guys experienced in Japan is so strange given that they were only together 5 years by the time of this recording. And then only to have their success boomerang back to the US who didn’t give them much attention to begin with. A perfect story for a band carving their own new territory. Robin Zander’s pipes were and always will be amazing. And Bun E. Carlos’ drumming is clinical. There is not a weak song on it which is why Cheap Trick remain to this day one of the most fierce and tight touring bands.
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Mar 26 2024
5
Many people don't like live albums because, the performances might be loose and may vary from the studio versions and oh, that crowd noise can be so distracting. For me, what makes a great live record is that the songs don't sound exactly like the album and the band can elevate the songs through the energy and enthusiasm of a live concert. The screechy, screaming Japanese girls in the crowd only add to the sheer excitement of the show. After this album was released it took a good, solid power-pop rock band from Illinois from near obscurity to worldwide superstardom. There's a reason this is Cheap Trick's best selling album and even today when the band plays live, at least half of these songs continue to be mainstays on their setlists. The live version of the song, I Want To To Want Me, became one of their biggest hits, even though it was previously released on their second album, In Color, to little notice, as a bland, flat sounding studio version. Really, if you need to hear one Cheap Trick album, this is it. As a teenager, I was blown away and saw the band live during era and it remains one of my most memorable live concert experiences.
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Mar 13 2024
5
Energy top to bottom. It's amazing this band is not more worshipped in the US. Just Awesome Ramalama. People that don't dig this are lying or dead inside
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Mar 08 2024
5
In the golden age of the live album, there would have been many candidates who would have been considered for approval in the pantheon of essentials. Cheap Trick's At Budokan is surely amongst them. A lot had changed since Liverpool's Fab Four made their way up East in 1966 and becoming big in Japan was as synonymous with making it as having a gold or platinum record in the States. Cheap Trick and their finely precise and excitable rock and roll was indicative of that change and its intoxicating barrage is what makes this live document a classic to this day. The fans that are heard throughout are just as much of a backbone. Far from the reserved, respectful folk that they're often characterized as, the Budokan audience give their all for the songs offered, most notably and poignantly on I Want You to Want Me. Silence and/or indifference would have rendered this dead on arrival. Thankfully, it was anything but. Perhaps the Cheap Trick album for one to sink their teeth into in order to understand the hype.
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Mar 07 2024
5
j'aime bien
Soyon généreux 5/5
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Mar 06 2024
5
Love cheap trick
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Feb 24 2024
5
Definitely a surprise. I didn't expect that a live concert album from the 70's was actually good beyond the notable hits (I Want You to Want Me and Surrender), but this one really delivers. Though nothing else is quite as good as those, the whole album from start to finish does maintain a great energy and I enjoyed the whole trek. Big Eyes, Need Your Love, Come On, Come On, Aint that a Shame... pretty much everything put a smile on my face. Very enjoyable.
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Feb 19 2024
5
Great Live album in every way. Underrated band. Great set list and they played to the audience
Loved listening to this. As everyone my age I wore this album out
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Feb 19 2024
5
In a decade of great live albums, Budokan is one of the greatest. Screaming Japanese fans who finally let it out after sitting on their hands during Beatlemania, Bun E.’s great drumming, Robin’s voice, Rick’s guitar and Tom’s seventies bass made me a big big fan. Part of the soundtrack of my existence. And one of the greatest Fats covers ever.
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Jan 19 2024
5
One the best live albums. Right up there with Frampton Comes Alive
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Jan 17 2024
5
•Owned
•Thee Live Rock Album. Cheap Trick turns the Budokan into a cauldron with an inferno of a set. Even when they swing with Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame”, they also rock. I would, indeed, like to do a number with them. (I saw them live about 20 years ago, at the Date Festival of all places, and they still played their hearts out then.)
•4.5/5
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Nov 15 2023
5
One of the biggest things I’ve learned from doing an album a day is that I actually have started to really like live albums, where previously I avoided them for no particular reason. I just assumed they would be annoying to listen to compared to a studio recording, but really many of the ones I’ve done so far are high energy and I can absolutely see the appeal. Really loved these tracks, and found them to be even more exciting with an audience and that live concert sound.
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Oct 28 2023
5
Good stuff
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Oct 20 2023
5
10 Things I Hate About You was probably the first time I became aware of Cheap Trick thanks to the Letters To Cleo cover of I Want You To Want Me.
I never really listened to Cheap Trick properly until I was in my early 20s when they became a mainstay in my music rotation especially when drinking with friends.
I love every minute of this album and it’s easily one of the best live albums of all-time!
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Jul 18 2023
5
The only relevant power pop live record. And one of the greatest live albums of the second half of the 70s. OK, it is not one of those bombastic gatefold double records with lots of songs and solos. They had just released their third album a few days before after all. But no filler here. And all songs sound better than the studio ones, specially the iconic 'I Want You to Want Me'
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Jun 30 2023
5
JUSTE WOW QUE DE DÉCOUVERTE !
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May 09 2023
5
Arguably the greatest 42 minute concert 1 million 12 twelve year old girls ever attended.
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Apr 25 2023
5
Now that’s what I call music
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Apr 21 2023
5
This is exactly what you want from a live album. It’s crackling with energy
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Apr 14 2023
5
I desperately wanted to know and love Cheap Trick because they were Billy Corgan’s favorite band and I was desperately in love with Billy Corgan. Ah, youth! The memory is faded, but perhaps I once bought a box set of their top three albums and proceeded to not listen to them. Was Budokan among them?
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Apr 14 2023
5
Easy one for me: a fab five. Immediately felt happy when I saw this cover appear on the screen.
I am ashamed that before I knew them, I gave them short shrift at a music festival. Someone I don’t know stayed and wrote something one of the best pieces of forum writing I’ve read about them:
http://www.premierrockforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=879&p=56759
“…As I heard more and more songs in the concert I thought about how the band Cheap Trick had played big stadiums and had girls screaming at them and been very famous and probably had lots of drugs and other things like that but now they were here playing to some people who didn't know them or really care about them like I didn't know them and some of the people watching probably wanted to see The Fall instead. But they did not get sad and instead they played like they did not want to be anywhere else or be doing anything else in the whole world”
Simon, this IS the Greatest Hits. And I’m reviewing the deluxe 2 CD full gig, not the short version linked on the page. Even the otherwise throwaway “Can’t Hold On” has enough conviction in the chorus to elevate my puny fist up in the air. And the best is as powerful as pop and rock can be x
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Apr 13 2023
5
One of the best live albums I have heard. Live albums can be hit or miss. They often feel a bit sterile and remove you from the action. What sets this album apart is the immersion of it. The excitement builds as the album progresses and it is hard not to feel like you are in the crowd.
It also helps if you like Cheap Trick which I do
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Apr 10 2023
5
Cheap Trick at the height of their powers. I like how 'Need Your Love' acts as the gravitational centre of the collection, a sprawling, prowling epic around which the zippier material orbits.
And what material! It's banger after banger. The likes of 'Surrender' and 'I Want You to Want Me' are established classics, but 'Big Eyes', 'Clock Strikes Ten' and 'Come On, Come On' are comfortable bedfellows.
Robin Zander is a superb singer but it's guitarist Rick Neilson who stands out. His playing is all broken shards and wiry little tangles of noise. The epitome of power pop, then - yet no-one quite sounds like Cheap Trick, now or then.
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Mar 31 2023
5
This albums great, it’s in the Mount Rushmore of live albums. Every song is great.
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Mar 16 2023
5
This was a rockin' awesome album!! I want to be there!
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Mar 16 2023
5
I love this band. Surrender is one of my favorite songs.
This album is exhilerating and fun!
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Mar 16 2023
5
I’m not going to talk about how I don’t care for live albums. This project has finally put that notion to rest for me.
I wasn’t familiar with anything on side 1 - but I really enjoyed it and wished I was at Budokan. Or Osaka rather.
On side 2 I recognized three in a row. A great rendition of Ain't That a Shame, then the beloved classics I Want You To Want Me and Surrender.
I really noticed the drums on this... Cheap Trick knows how to rock. So much energy in this performance! I really loved this album.
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Mar 06 2023
5
One of the best live albums ever!
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Feb 27 2023
5
I see quite a few negative reviews for this album and I disagree with them. The complete Budokan concert is even better because it (naturally) includes more songs and removes some of the overdubbing that was present on this version. Robin's voice was cleaned up a little in parts and a synthesizer was added to "Surrender." I recommend the complete concert version.
Otherwise, this is one of the best albums of all time. Hello There and Come On Come On are great concert openers and there isn't a bad song on this album. This album introduced me to how good live music can be and to Cheap Trick. Highly recommend.
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Feb 20 2023
5
Kananlihhoa ei syytä ole piilotella LÄTKÄSTÄÄN VITOSTA!! SORI JOS ON PASKAA!!! Ei voe mitään
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